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Factory tours


Finagler 6853 Life

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I really enjoy watching shows that focus on making things.  Factories, craftsmen, hobbyists, etc.  Do those of you that live near firearms manufacturers or related industries go on tours of the factories?  Are they worth it?  Not?  I've gotten to visit lots of factories but mostly customers that make heavy equipment and some that are owned by acquaintances.  There is a cheese factory 4 miles from my house where they make the most delicious cheddar cheeses.  I just bought some 12 year old cheddar last week.  Having a cheese tasting Monday night.  I tried to do a tour of Hornady's factory but showed up on Friday and they didn't do tours of Fridays.  I try to contact places before showing up to confirm that they do tours or not.

I get to walk out in my shop anytime.  Laser fabricators are mesmerizing.  Fascinating how metal can be cut with a beam of light.  Seeing talented welders, sewers, assemblers, watching foam being molded.  Lots of things to see.  I grew up going to my dad's shop.  I associate the smell of hot, sometimes burning plastic as the smell of money.  Watching an injection molding machine shoot hot plastic into a mold is always interesting.  I did the bat factory in Louisville a couple times now and learn something more each time.  I want to go to a Ruger, S&W, Colt or any other firearms maker.  Lots of them have stores where you can buy trinkets and such.  I went to Dillon's in Scottsdale once.  Nice retail section.  I asked if they did tours and was met with an emphatic no.  Like they were guarding secret papers.  So I bought some parts I wanted and left.

 

Anyone else like doing this kind of voyeurism?

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30 minutes ago, Finagler 6853 Life said:

I asked if they did tours and was met with an emphatic no.  Like they were guarding secret papers.  So I bought some parts I wanted and left.

 

That is strange.  Dillon has given tours for many years.  I went again last year.  They will not let you into the section that builds machine guns and there are tarps hanging in the factory so you cannot see in there.

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I've enjoyed the Mack truck, Harley Davidson, and Martin guitar factories. Been thru the Harley factories in Pennsylvania & Wisconsin. I'd like to check out the Ruger factory in New Hampshire. 

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I have had tours of Hornady, Sierra and starline.  At each facility we were conducted by a knowledgeable  employee  who  answered all of my questions and explained  the process thoroughly. They were well worthwhile.

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In the 90's I worked at a motorhome factory. The owner was friends with Donald O'Connor and walked around the plant with him one day. Everyone else was oblivious as to who he was. I worked up on a mezzanine and gave him a round of applause as he walked towards us. He looked up, smiled and gave me a wave. I just thought how amazed the younger workers would be if they saw the type of acrobatic dancing he was capable of when he was younger.

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I use to tour the OLYMPIA BEER factory in Tumwater, Washington on a rather regular basis.  An excellent tour for a warm Saturday afternoon.  Especially the end of the tour.  Yum!!

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The most interesting tour I have ever done was of an open pit gold mine near Rawhide NV. Amazing how much rock they move for a BB sized piece of precious metal. The gold extracted paid all the overhead. The profit came from the Silver, Platinum, and other metals.

 

The Coors Brewery in Golden Co was worth the drive from Denver especially the end.  ;)

 

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I live near the Ruger factory in Prescott, AZ and since 9/11 there are NO factory tours.  From what I heard from a Ruger employee, there are no longer factory tours of gun manufacturers except for the media when the factory does a special video.  Anyone have any other info?

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A friend of mine and I visited the Anheuser-Busch factory for a guided tour. We toured the factory and had a great time until near the end of the tour.

 

They had some wide catwalks over top of the giant storage vats for the beer just before canning. My friend leaned too far over the rail and fell into one of the vats. The tour guide hustled the group out of the area and into a lobby type area.

 

I waited to find out about my friend. Finally a guy in a suit and tie came over and told me that my friend had drowned and was deceased. I asked him if my friend had suffered. He replied that he didn't think so as he had gotten out of the vat three times to take a piss.

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